Selecting environmental water tracers to understand groundwater around mines: opportunities and limitations
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Date
2022-02-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer Nature
Abstract
Underground mining operations have the potential to alter groundwater systems and facilitate hydraulic connections between surface water and groundwater. The nature and degree of these interactions need to be evaluated to identify mining risks to surrounding water resources and to predict potential operational effects and environmental impacts, such as hydraulic stress on local surface waters. Environmental water tracers (EWTs) are commonly used to study such interactions in mine water and hydrogeological studies. However, the opportunities presented by EWTs could be more widely utilised to benefit the mining industry and the environment. Some of the challenges faced include the lack of practical frameworks, the need for more examples of EWTs applications in mining, and the possibility of complex interpretation of tracer results. This paper reviews previous studies that have applied EWTs in groundwater systems within or near mine sites, mostly from Australia, China, and India. The EWTs used in these studies include water quality parameters, major ions, stable isotopes, radioisotopes, and dissolved gases. The opportunities of applying multiple EWTs to identify water sources, mixing, and determine recharge rates and groundwater residence times are discussed. Limitations of different EWTs in terms of their capabilities, reliability, cost of analysis, effort, and processing times are reviewed. Steps for selecting suitable EWTs for specific mine hydrogeology assessments should be commensurate with the risks. Finally, this paper provides an overview of suitable EWTs that will be a useful contribution to appropriate water resource management decisions around mines. © 2022 The Author(s)
Description
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Keywords
Tracer techniques, Surface waters, Ground water, Mines, Aquifers, Isotopes
Citation
Kurukulasuriya, D., Howcroft, W., Moon, E., Meredith, K., & Timms, W. (2022). Selecting environmental water tracers to understand groundwater around mines: opportunities and limitations. Mine Water and the Environment, 41, 357-369. doi:10.1007/s10230-022-00845-y